The Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif, has revealed that one of the four main targets agreed upon for Chris Hughton as the head coach of the Black Stars is to qualify for the next World Cup.
The former Newcastle manager signed a 21-month contract that will see him in charge of the team until the end of 2024 and has already started working, fetching four points from the team’s doubleheader with Angola in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
According to Hon. Ussif, the target to reach the next AFCON, after exiting the group stage in Cameroon last year, as well as qualifying Ghana for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, are among the four major goals presented to Hughton to achieve.
“The objectives are set by the FA for him to ensure that we qualify for AFCON and also to ensure that we identify local talents from our league. To also ensure that we qualify for the World Cup and also to make sure that our ranking in the FIFA Ranking improves. These are the objectives in the contract that he has signed,” he told Graphic Sports, on the sidelines of the launch of the 2023 Ramadan Cup.
As part of his aim to identify local talents, Chris Hughton has been spotted many times at various match venues to witness the performances of local-based players.
His next task is to assemble a squad for Ghana’s next fixtures in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Central African Republic.